How to Beat the Bully Without Really Trying

For Ages: 8 - 12

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When luck gives a new kid a false reputation as a tough guy, can he find the strength to live up to his image?

Rodney Rathbone is a self-admitted coward. Things scare him, and he can’t help it. So naturally he’s terrified when he moves to a new town and the bully is ready to pounce. But just as Rodney is about to flee, a baseball flies in from out of nowhere and knocks out the bully. Now everyone thinks Rodney’s invincible—when really he feels just the opposite. Can he figure out how to live up to his new reputation and make friends along the way?
Told with warmth and heart, this debut novel from a middle-school teacher will speak to the hidden insecurities—and strengths—of every middle-grade reader.

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Book details:

Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books |
272 pages |
ISBN 9781442416932 |
January 2012 |
Grades 3 - 7

$5.99 List Price

Available for immediate download

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Praise

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“How to Beat the Bully Without Really Trying is right on target. Scott Starkey really understands kids, school, and the language of both.”

– Jim Trelease, author

“This debut focuses on a familiar character in middle-grade lit, the perennially bullied kid”

– except this time, he's unexpectedly victorious, early in the story.
The twist to bullying victim Rodney's story makes this stand out from other books on the topic, and it also allows for some humor. He was bullied in his old school in Brooklyn; wh

“Rodney Rathbone thought he would never have to experience an atomic wedgie again when his family relocated from New York City to small-town Ohio. The impulsive boy, whose mouth kind of acts on its own, soon discovers that there... ”

– Booklist, January 2012

“Kids will cheer for the appealing underdog and enjoy his success while they identify with his frequent feelings of anxiety and dread. Just as it seems that all is well and Rodney is safe, the book ends with a twist, indicating a... ”

– School Library Journal, April 2012

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Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
NOWHERE TO HIDE

“So what’ll it be, a black eye or a bloody nose?”

“What’s the third choice?” I asked.

He looked confused. “Enough talking. Ready to die, new kid?”

Ah, the first day of school! New notebooks, a new backpack, meeting new people, getting beat up by a bully. Actually, Josh wasn’t just any bully. He was THE bully at Baber Intermediate. Looking back on it now, I can’t believe I made it through that first day. Heck, I can’t believe I survived all the way to graduation. It’s a pretty...